I’m not sure why you are bringing up combat, other than to use it as a red herring. Hunting is a task. Do the task long enough, with enough different people, in enough varying environments, note the successes and the failures, and “optimum” solutions are going to show themselves.
There really isn’t that much that requires quick access (IMO).
It isn’t just about “require” it’s about optimization, but ok-
Binos don’t require quick access? Spare ammunition doesn’t require quick access? A TQ doesn’t require quick access? A flashlight doesn’t require quick access?
And, you probably have a pack. Then, you have a large number who pack large glass spotters and spend the bulk of time glassing. I don’t see any need for a “chest rig” if spending significant time glassing. If it is really important it will be in my pack.
And packs get left behind all the time. I have had hunters that everyone on this board would know, that
swear that they
never take their pack off ever- do so the very first time I hunted or shot with them, and didn’t even recognize that they did so when it was pointed out. Of course when pointed out that they left their pack and crawled 20-100 yards away from it- most have tried to deny, downplay, or say “it’s never happened before”. Yeah, I’m sure it hasn’t. Just like people that claim they’ve never had to adjust their scope a single click when checking zero.
Sitting and glassing when an animal is spotted, then goes “just out of sight” and moving quickly a few yards to get a shot without packing up the bag and putting it on happens all the time to people that actually hunt in the west. It happened to me and those I hunted with probably 20 times this fall alone.
For a buddy and I the “quick 30 yard dash to get a shot on an elk” turned into being 250+ yards from my buddies pack (I grabbed mine), our tripod and spotter, Jet boil with breakfast, puff suit, etc. Then the next day a mad rush to get on animals moving through camp after waking up late meant I was in my sleep clothes and my bino pack only, and my buddy had his pants and top on with a rifle, but didn’t grab his bino pack or backpack. And that quick 30 yard dash turned into a 500 yard+ chase and rodeo that ultimately resulted in a missed opportunity because he didn’t have what he needed.
Show me the use case for a chest rig. I am open to ideas. Form, just saw your post. If you want all that accessible, that’s fine. I don’t see a need for most of that to be on my chest.
Ok. If you hunt a certain way that those things don’t matter, great.
My experience of hunting on average virtually nonstop in the west from the beginning of October to middle January, and then again for 30-60 days in the spring with between 8-15 different people a year is different. The amount of rodeos, screw ups and failures I’ve seen from the “I’ve never needed” crowd is astounding.
I have never carried a pistol. I don’t need extra mags immediately available, or a knife, headlamp, emergency kit, chapstick, any more available than they are in a pack lid or pocket.
Ok? Who is trying to convince you that you need a chest pack?
I answered what you and woods wrote with “why” a bino pack might be designed a certain way. I could not care less how or what you carry.
I can tell you with absolute certainty (because everyone that has hunted with us twice has done so) that if you came and hunted for two weeks with us, you 100% would find that you need all those things accessible save maybe the emergency kit, because by definition it is for emergencies.
When something goes wrong and you run out of your 3-4 rounds in the gun and the animal is still moving, don’t worry you can use one our rifles. When we’re on a ridge and your lips start to bleed, we’re not going to stop so you can take your pack off and get chapstick. We’re not gong to stop a stalk on an animal because you left your pack a few feet back to crawl on an animal for a shot, that then turned into being several hundred yards away from it. And if we get far enough from your pack in the dark and you don’t have a light, you won’t be taking one of our emergency lights. And if for some reason we get lost, injured or stuck, while those around you have a Mylar blanket, snickers, and water tabs, you can stay up all night feeding the fire that was started by the others because you didn’t have a way to start one. All of these things, I and others have experienced while hunting. If your style of western hunting is like you are hunting in the east or the Midwest for deer- yeah maybe it won’t happen to you. Until it does.
When I go hunting my primary goal is to find and kill whatever animal I am after. The singular reason I am there. I love solitude, pretty birds, the sunrises and sunsets, and everything else. But those are all secondary to finding and killing the animal. If I want to watch birds or camp out I can do so in my yard.
My bino harness has binos, rangefinder, my phone, a small cow call, and a lens cloth. And that amount bugs me, but will concede I want it readily accessible. I truly dislike having it on my chest. All that extra stuff, no chance.
Again, ok. Who in this thread has said that you should do something else? I don’t want this post to be taken the wrong way- I am not intending to be rude. I am trying to explain why a chest pack might be designed a certain way- I don’t care if you use it or not. However, your reasons for not doing so, do not hold up to scrutiny or rigorous analysis for
western spot and stalk backpack hunting for how a lot, or most do it.
There are things I do, and gear that I use that are not the norm, and are really only applicable to a minority of people or uses, and therefor I do not mention them. The reason that a chest pack might be designed like the new SG one shown in this thread, might be based on a very large sample size of issues and solutions to those issues. It isn’t for everyone, for sure.
